Death Shouldn't Call Dibs on Kids
by lost-in-elysium
Summary: The Jeep Zach and Gray stumble upon never starts, leaving them with no choice but to spend the night in the wilderness of Isla Nublar. Will they survive until morning? Mild violence; major character death(s) possible. One-shot. Prequel to Tomorrow is Never Promised. REVISED.


**Death Shouldn't Call Dibs on Kids**

 **A Jurassic World Fanfiction**

 **Summary** : The Jeep never starts, leaving Zach and Gray with no choice but to spend the night in the wilderness of Isla Nublar. Will they survive until morning? Mild violence; major character death(s) possible. One-shot. REVISED.

 **/!\ Warnings:** Mild violence and language.

 **Disclaimer** : We own nothing!

 **A/N** : Apologies in advance for any spelling/grammatical errors we didn't catch. Also, the raptors in this story are intended to be wild, and not the ones belonging to Owen.

* * *

Mom was _so_ going to kill him.

 _Technically, she can't. I'll be dead by then, and so will Gray._

Out of all the stupid things Zach Mitchell has done, venturing into the wilderness with a genetically-enhanced predator on the loose took the cake. Watching dinosaurs from afar in the safety of the gyrosphere was his ideal 'full Jurassic World experience' - _not_ a face-to-face encounter with the Indominus Rex ending in a hundred-foot plunge off a cliff.

After their brush with death, he and Gray sought refuge in the ruins of Jurassic Park - overrun with weeds whose tendrils splayed like spindly fingers across the walls and floor. They wandered for aeons before discovering the sand beige 1992 Jeep Wrangler Sahara in near mint-condition with its keys in the ignition.

 _This is too good to be true._ Was karma or providence at work? _ _  
__

"Turn it over," Zach said once they replaced the battery; Gray tried to no avail.

"Move," Zach slid into the driver's seat, forcing his brother to ride shotgun, and wrenched the key. It'll start, and they'll drive into the sunset, laughing over how they'd nearly pissed their pants staring into the maw of the Indominus Rex as it gnawed on the gyrosphere like a jawbreaker.

The engine stuttered but wouldn't turn over. " _Come on,"_ Zach muttered. His spirits plummeted when it stalled. _Yep, definitely karma._

"That doesn't sound good," Gray said.

 _Thank you, Captain Obvious._ The Jeep obstinately remained silent. "F - Ugh!" He punched the wheel, stifling a curse. _Language, Zach; keep it PG,_ Mom admonished in his head.

What he'd give to hear her voice again. _  
_

The car hadn't been driven - let alone _started_ \- in twenty years; of course it wouldn't work. Deus ex machinas and real life don't jibe. Zach sunk into his seat and the doldrums, resigned to his fate, hope dispersing like dandelion seeds in the wind. He raked his fingers through his hair. Maybe if Aunt Claire had been watching him and Gray instead of working, and if his parents hadn't given them this vacation as a consolation prize before dropping their divorce news like the atomic bomb, they wouldn't be in this predicament.

 _If I wasn't such a dumbass, we definitely wouldn't be. Strike one for Zach Mitchell.  
_

He flounced out of the car. "Why won't it start? Come on, you piece of junk! Start!" He kicked the bumper, which rattled on impact.

Gray approached with caution. "Zach..."

"I don't want to die! Not like this…"

"Zach!" Gray cried.

Zach snapped his head toward him.

 _"What?!"_

The boy didn't flinch. "It's okay."

Zach adamantly shook his head, jaw clenching. "No. It's _not_ okay. I'm your big brother. I'm supposed to protect you, and I didn't. Nothing about the situation we're in right now is okay, _okay?_ "

"What do we do now?"

"I don't know." They wouldn't be back by nightfall with the Jeep out of commission, and attempting to return by foot? Forget it. Hope and warmth receded with the sunlight, leaving shadows and trepidation. "You're the smart one. Any bright ideas, Einstein?"

"We're going to die," Gray said. No fear, no despair. Merely resignation.

 _Probably._ "We are _not_ going to die," Zach replied, more to himself than his little brother. They were too young for that. Death shouldn't call dibs on kids, ever. "I guess we'll spend the night here and hope we find our way back tomorrow." _Hope_ \- all their future relied on, now. Was it enough?

"Should we keep going?"

Zach glanced back. "I don't think that's a good idea. We need to block the door to keep those things out."

As they scoured the room for items to build a barricade, Gray gasped. "These could be useful to us." He handed Zach a pair of goggles before donning his own, jaw dropping in awe. "Wow! These are neat. I think they're night vision goggles!"

"Shh...keep your voice down! Whoa..." Zach blinked at Gray, an undulant mosaic of colors.

"It's like an infrared camera," Gray said. "It measures thermal radiation."

"Meaning?"

"They register your heat signature. Everything's black around my eyes, right? And my shoes?" He lifted one foot, then the other.

"Yeah...Why?"

"Shoes and goggles don't generate heat. These could be really helpful. I can't believe they work after all these years." _If only the Jeep had stood the test of time._ He looked up at Zach, hope glimmering in his eyes. "Do you think we should try?"

He frowned. "Try what?"

"Leaving, now that we can see."

Zach gnawed his lip. "I don't know, Gray…. Maybe it's best we stay put."

"And wait to get eaten?"

"No! That won't happen. Besides, we've been fine so far. We just have to stick it out few more hours. Come on," he said. "It's getting cold." They climbed into the back of the vehicle, listening to insects chitter and the rustle of leaves by things unseen. He shuddered and drew Gray close, pressing his cheek against the child's incorrigible curls.

"You still cold, buddy?" He loved him so much it hurt, even if he seldom showed it.

"Yeah."

"Here." Zach shrugged out of his hoodie and wrapped it around Gray. Goosebumps erupted on his skin, and his teeth chattered from the cold he tried to ignore.

"Do you think they'll find us?"

"Of course they will." Aunt Claire wouldn't relent until they did. Whether they'd be dead or alive by then, Zach couldn't say; he hoped his fellow humans reached them before the dinosaurs.

"If we die, do you think Mom and Dad will still get divorced?"

 _Here we go again._ "How many times do I have to tell you? We are _not_ going to die, and Mom and Dad are _not_ getting divorced."

"Yes, they are," Gray insisted, sniveling. Zach dropped the subject. Why fight it? He was right. But at this point, did it matter? Did anything matter?

Zach recoiled. "Are you crying?"

Gray sniffed again. _"No."_

Zach would have told his brother to grow up if he wasn't on the verge of tears himself. "I'm sorry..."

"What for?"

He sighed. "It's my fault we're here. I'm so stupid."

"No, you're not."

"Yeah, I am. If - _once_ \- Mom's gonna kill me." _Claire'll have it worse._ Mom _had_ entrusted them to her care, and she'll sever their bond for good once she learned otherwise.

"It's okay, Zach. Everyone makes mistakes." _But one_ this _bad_?

 _Thump_.

Gray startled, reminding Zach of an innocence easily forgotten in the precocious child. "What was that?"

"I don't know." _Liar_. Someone - or some _thing_ \- wanted in. The door quivered; the barricade started to crumble. It was a only a matter of time before -

Another _thump_. Louder, this time.

 _THUMP!_

The door blew off its hinges, splitting in half as the raptor burst in. Its screech grated on their ears and nerves worse than nails down a chalkboard.

"We gotta go!" The brothers leapt out of the car. Zach gripped Gray's thin shoulders, riveting him into place. "We've got to run now. _Run,_ like you've never run before. Got it?" Gray nodded, Zach shoving him before heeding his own advice. Neither dared glance over his shoulder; all that mattered was _it_ wanted to eat _them_.

"Turn right!" They veered around a corner. The raptor, to their immense relief, kept straight, but Zach's pace never slowed. He wouldn't stop until -

"Wait!"

Zach froze and turned. Too intent on escaping, he hadn't noticed Gray lagging behind. His brother was doubled over, now, gasping for air. _Not now_. He ran to Gray, yanked his arm; he didn't budge. "What are you doing?! We can't stop now!"

He clutched his chest. "Can't...breathe…!"

Zach surveyed the scene. They had lost the raptor...for now. "Okay. Sit. Lean forward. It'll help you expand your lungs. In, out, remember? In, out." Gray reeled into a wall and sunk to the floor, breathing in through his nose and out pursed lips as Zach crouched in front of him, gripping his shoulders.

"Did you bring your inhaler?"

Gray's shook his head. "At...hotel…"

"Come on, Gray." _Damn it._ _Strike two for Zach Mitchell._ Why had he neglected the responsibility of ensuring his brother had it before going out today, of all days? _  
_

"I'm sorry -"

"Save your breath. We can't waste any more time. Get up; I'll carry you." Zach stooped down; Gray climbed aboard. Zach stood with a grunt, adrenaline propelling him down the hall and around the corner. _Man, the kid's heavier than he looks._

Gray twisted around. "Raptor."

"What?"

"Following us. One."

"That's not too bad, is it?"

"No! Hunt in packs."

Zach stumbled. "There may be more?"

Gray hadn't heard or wouldn't answer. Then: "Catching up. Hurry!"

 _You don't need to tell me twice_. Zach pumped his legs harder, but still felt as slow as wading waist-deep through a sea of molasses. "I'm trying!" There was no way they'd make it, succumbing first to human limits, _then_ the raptors.

That time had come.

One screeched as it joined its packmate in the pursuit. Another careened into them; Zach and Gray tumbled onto the floor in a tangle of limbs. They looked up at four - _four?!_ \- raptors snapping their teeth at them, amber eyes beacons in the night. _How nice of you to invite your buddies over for dinner._ The brothers scrambled into a corner.

 _Strike three. Yooooou're out!  
_

"Take your goggles off." Zach ripped off his pair and Gray's before the latter could object. He tossed them aside, and, for the first time that night, embraced the dark. "I'm sorry, Gray." he sobbed, clasping the boy to him. _I'm sorry, Mom, Dad. Aunt Claire._ Tears, snot, and drool streamed down their faces. _Please, make this quick and painless._ "I love you. Close your eyes…."

* * *

 **A/N** : Thanks for reading! Please let us know what you think.


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